Lens mounting for gas masks and the like



March 5, W460 N. R. SGHUTZ ETAL.

LENS MOUNTING FOR GAS MASKS AND THE LIKE Filed Nov. 9, 1942 2Sheets-Sheet l A rramvem March 5, 1946.

N. R. SCHUTZ ETAL v LENS MOUNTING FOR GAS MASKS AND THE LIKE Filed Nov.9, 1942 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 3 2 Y 7 my H m 6/ r W 7 I u w M A Patented Mar.5, 1946 UNITED ma ems LENS MOllNTINGTOR GAS MASKS AND Nathan n; Schutzaria JackD'ubitskyfNew"York,

N; Y., assignors of one-third to Alfred H. Sachs, V fllevelan h OhioApplication November 9, 1942, Serial No. 465,078

.8 Claims. (Cl.88--4 1).H.. v I I I The pre nt-invention.relatesto animproved It has occurredto us that it is both desirable mount orsuppogvi vma ks ofvarious.typ gzfor andpossible'to provide a lens-mountstructure lenses: and particularly opticallyground lenses for gas masks;which-becomes practically aperfor persons requiring optica1correction. vmanent part of'thema'sk and yet is conveniently It is thegeneral objectof the inventionto'pro- 5 removable for adj m n r'r vid zalens-mountormounts which can be conp We have" i r y n rp r ted in ages venientlyapplied ztolvarious kinds of masks and m h v y Suitable y Structure dbecome a more for less permanent'part thereof, the usual gla s brothertr n pa n len e of whereby the lenses and their frames become'an windowsseated in suitable famesin the'mask, a integral- 'part ofcthe"mask-structure, while yet nov l typ f p r attachment w h imaintaining?thezremovability and re laceability ha a t r z d y a um er fmp rtant feaofthe frames and lenses. 2 r l tures and advantagesoverprior gas mask equipiWhileiourIimpi-oved lensmount structure canment. Aside from the fact that the optically be incorporated in" variouskinds of masks, such ground lenses become a more or less fixed part ofas :welders, miners, .firemen.s, airmens, divers, the mask, so that thesoldier has but to remove and" other masksitisofparticular advantag 'inhis ordinary glasses and don'his mask to meet gas masks foricombat unitsand the invention will any emergency, our improved lens mountproaccordinglybe further described in detail incon vides a greater'rangeof' vision than was possible nection withxa gas mask, such descriptionto be with 'thegas mask spectaclesheretoforemaimunderstoodtasillustrative only, and not as limitingfactured; and in a preferred embodiment of our the scope of theinvention. .zl: V l 1 invention, the lens frames are made adjustable":Theuse of'gasmasks by soldiers and civilians to accommodate themselves-'to different facial whoimust wear glasses'has presented'a ratherwidths; Thus,"whereas the spectacles provided serious. problem :with theequipment that has to by'theUn'ited'States Army for'use with gas masksdate'beenanade' available; A separate pair of have a diameter of onlymm; which "cuts the glasses must .be provide'd for 'eachsoldier', whichfield of vision by about and thus consequentglasses and their: framesare: constructed to 'fit lygreatlyhandicaps'the soldier, the lenses usedwithin the gas mask; or else, the-mask is conwith our improved mountscan be "of th usual structed to fit overithewholehead as well as size;Also,- 'even= where only one type of lens thefacaisoas. thereby :toenclose the glasses normount is-manufactured in accordancewith themally-worntby. the soldier. The. first type of present invention, thesame can be made to fit equipmentis objectionable: because of th exsoldiers havingnarrow or wide faces by reason tremely shorttimeavailable, usually a matter-of of the provision of an adjustment whichis deonly about eight seconds, between the gas alarm scribedmorefullyhereinbelow. 1 andthe time that the mask must be snuglyfitt'ed Inthe construction of the present invention, on' 'the face to protect thewearer bothagainst temple-bars are completely'eliminated with con-'lachrymatorand'lung attacking gases, as wellas sequent elimination ofdanger ofseepage of gas vesicant gases. The soldiermust not only reintothe interior 'of the mask at the temples. movexthe glasses heisnwearing, but fitron the In addition'to the adjustability of the lensspecial gas mask glasses before hecan don" his 49 frame with referenceto the eye, We provide stop mask. .Where the "gas mask glasses have beenmeans in the form of a frontal plate which enmisplaced, or are not.readily avaliable, valuable gages the forehead in the region of theeyebrows time :may be lost withdanger of injury and even to assist inproperly locating the lens with refer death; VA150,:insthe'excitement ofthe moment, ence tothe eye, especially for wearers having there isconsiderable dangerthat orient the" two relatively broad faces. Otherstop means are propairs ofglasseswillibe damaged. :A further "obvided tolimitthe inward movementor adjustjeotion to this type-of eduipmentisthat the tem: mentof the lenses for wearers having narrow plebarsprovide points of ingress. for gas; since faces. the :facial maskscannot ordinarily fit tightly An important feature of the presentinvention about-such bars.- v 1 i resides in amount frame ofsimpleconstruction Thesecondxtype:ofieduipment is objectionable by means ofwhichthe lens frame is securely ponotionlybecause of the large sizeofamask relsitioned" within the mask; The mounting frame quiredto fitoverathe whole head. :but also. be'-= is preferably composed of a springwire which causeitlbecomes moret-difiloult to-insureadequate can becontracted to fit it within the window sealing against the back of thehead and the neck. frame and directly against the inside surface of ofthe frame is sufiicient to hold the same and the lens frame securedthereto firmly in the mask. The parts are so positioned and constructedthat about the window is provided with a flange, or is recessed, thewire frame M will spring under the flange or into the recess and thussecurely hold the lens frame I 3 and its lens in proper position. EvenWhere such flange or recess is not present, the resilience of the wireframe M will cause it to press into the relatively soft rubber orsimilar facing of the Window frame, whereby the mounting frame will besecurely anchored .within the mask. To remove the mounting and itsassociated lens frame from the mask, it is necessary only to engage thefree ends of the wire they do not strike each other when the mask iscollapsed, when not in use, the lenses being at the same time protectedby the mask Other features and advantages of the invention will appearfrom the following more detailed description and the features of noveltywill be set forth in the appended claims.

The accompanying drawings illustrate two forms of the invention. In saiddrawings,

Fig. 1 is a front elevation of the mask partly in section, along theline 1-! of Fig. 2;

Fig. 2 represents, a horizontal cross-section taken through the line 22of Fig. 1;

Figs. 3, 4 and show a modified construction, Fig. 3 being a front Viewpartly in section of the ground lens and its mount, while Figs. 4 and 5illustrate sections taken along the lines 44 and 5-5, respectively, ofFig. 3.

Referring to Figs. 1 and 2. the mask is of any known form, the oneillustrated being shown purely by way of example. The mask includes thelenses or windows II made of any suitable transparent material such asglass, the windows being mounted within frames l2 which may be of metal,rubber, rubber-coated metal, or any other sufficiently rigid material.As the other parts of the mask itself are more or less of standard orknown construction, they need not be further described.

In the form of the invention illustrated, the lens mount is composed oftwo main elements, namely, the lens frame (3 and the mounting frame Hi.As can best be seen from Fig. 2, the mounting frame is provided in thecase of each lens mount with .an inwardly extending arm i5 which isrigidly secured as by welding, soldering or otherwise, to the frame l4,and is apertured at its free end to receive a pivot pin 16. A pair ofclamping plates ll are secured at one end to the pin I6, one at eachside of the arm l5 and receive between them the end flanges 13 of thelens frame which is split at such point. The flanges l8 fit between theclamping plates l7, and the templeend of the lens frame is thus securedto the arm I5 by way of a screw It. It will be evident that upon removalof the screw 19, the lens frame can be opened for replacement of thelens, indicated at 29, such lens fitting within a suitable groove in thelens frame.

The nose bridge portion of the mask is indicated at 2! and at suchbridge end, each of the lens frames is secured to the mounting frame byway of an arm or bar 22 which is Welded, soldered, or otherwise securedto the two frames.

The mounting frame I4 is preferably made of resilient or spring wire,its ends being normally spaced apart, as indicated at 23. By compressingthe frame near its free ends, the whole assembly can be slipped intoposition within the inside of the mask and directly behind the window Hrelease of the frame causing the same to expand and resiliently engagethe inside portions of the mask about the window. 4 Where the insideframe frame l4 and press them toward each other, whereupon the lensmount can be removed as a unit from-the mask. A suitable tool may beemployed to engage the wire frame and separate it from the window frame.

It will be seen from the foregoing that we have provided separate andindependent mounts for the two lenses which can be easily incorporatedin a mask of any ordinary construction and is easily removed therefromfor replacement or repair. The lenses are so positioned within the maskthat collapse of the mask when not in use will cause no injury to thelenses, the arms 22 being separated by the resilient bridge piece 2| andthe arms being spaced at sufiicient distance apart to prevent theirstriking together upon col-- lapse of the mask. This result may be aidedby inclining the arms 22 in opposite directions, as shown in Fig. 2. Itwill be seen that the lens mount holds the lens in proper opticalposition, and that the lenses are of normal size and give a normal rangeof vision to the wearer. If desired, the arms 22 can be made relativelyflexible so that a certain degree of adjustment of the lenses 20 can besecured by bending or distorting them,

and also by pivoting of the lens frames 13 uponthe pivots IE, tocompensate for different angularities of the mask when worn by personsof different facial widths.

In the structure shown in Figs. 3, 4 and 5, parts similar to those inFigs. 1 and 2 are similarly numbered. In this form of the invention,special means are provided for insuring proper adjustment of theoptically ground lens for persons of different facial widths with whomthe angularity of the face portion of the mask will necessarily differ.The temple end or side of the lens frame [3 is free to pivot about anapproximately vertical axis on the pin I6; while the bridgeend of theframe is given a floating support, so that the lens frame can adjustitself with reference to the eye of the wearer so as to assume theproper optical position. To this end, the arm 22 of Fig. 2 is replacedby a headed rod or bar 22' which is embraced by aloop member 24 rigidlysecured to the lens frame [3. A spring 25 is positioned about the rod 22and urges the lens frame against the head 26 of the rod which acts as astop, The bar is curved along an are having the pivot I8 as a center, soas to avoid binding.

The effective length of the bar 22' is about 15 mm., which is sufiicientto provide for normal differences of facial contour. When the mask isworn by a person having a relatively narrow face, so that the faceportion of themask will be shaped along a sharper angle or curve, thefloating end of the lens will move to its extreme limit of motionagainst the head of the bar under the action of the spring and therebycompensate wholly or at least in large part for the shifting of thetemple end of the lens. Thereby, the lens isbrought into correct opticalposition with reference to the eye; When, on the other hand, the mask'isworn by a person with a relatively wide face, sothat the frontportion of the mask is relatively flat, the floating end of the lenswill require adjustment toward the base end of the bar 22', and toaccomplish this, we secure, in any suitable manner, to the upper edge ofeach of the lens frames 13, a frontal plate 21, which is positioned toengage the eyebrow region of the wearer and thereby limit the inwardmovement of the bridge end of the lens frame.

In this way, the same mask and a standard form of lens mount can be madeto fit all wearers, so that the necessity for different sizes, shapes,etc., of parts, is avoided.

To facilitate the operation of the spring wire frame I 4 in the mannerhereinabove described, we provide the same with upward bends 28 uponopposite sides thereof, so as to provide finger pieces which can bereadily engaged even when the mounting frame is in position inside themask. As in the construction shown in Figs. 1 and 2, the parts are sodimensioned and disposed that the two lens mounts do not strike eachother when the mask is collapsed or folded over when not in use. trolbetween frontal plates 21 is effected if the same are disposed about 2mm. inwardly of the lens frames to which they are attached. The frontalplates are in general so disposed that when the loop 24 engages the heador stop 26, that is, when the mask is being worn by a person having arather narrow face, such plates just touch or nearly touch the foreheadof the wearer. For greater strength, the bar 22 can be made ellipticalin cross-section, and as shown in Fig. 3, the base of the arm l5 at thetemple can be extended inward to provide a stronger connection with themounting frame.

The distance between the top of the lens frame and the mounting frame isabout 5 mm., such distance being sufiicient for supporting the lens itis obvious that such lens can be made of plain glass for additionalprotection to workmen, where the lens mount is employed in an industrialmask to protect workmen against fllying chips and the like.

We claim:

1. A mask comprising a body portion having a pair of transparent windowsand frames within which the windows are seated, a pair of lens framesseparate from each other and adapted to receive optically ground lensesto suit the eyes of the wearer, a mounting member for each lens framecomprising a resilient wire structure adapted upon compression to befitted within a window frame on the inside of the mask and to be heldsnugly therein upon release, an arm extending from the mounting memberat the temple side thereof, the lens frame being pivoted upon such armabout an approximately vertical axis, a second arm projecting inwardlyfrom the mounting member at the bridge side thereof and provided with astop at its free end, the lens frame having a portion embracing thesecond arm, and a spring urging the lens frame inwardly, toward thestop.

2. A mask as defined in claim 1, including a frontal plate adapted toengage the eyebrow region of the wearer to hold the lens frame in properposition within the limit determined by said stop.

3. A mask as defined in claim 1, wherein the We have found that verysatisfactory conlens frame is separable at the temple side and isprovided with horizontally extending flanges by which it is pivoted tothe first-mentioned arm, and means for detachably securing the flangesto said arm.

4. A pliable mask having a pair of windows and frames therefor, amounting member for a ground lens in the form of a resilient wire whichis adapted to be compressed and inserted within a window frame of themask at the inside thereof, the member then expanding and frictionallyengaging the inside of said frame a lens frame pivotally secured to themounting member at the terns ple side thereof, the other side of thelens frame being free to swing in an approximately horizontal direction,and means for supporting said other side of the lens frame upon themounting member.

5. A pliable mask having a pair of windows and frames within which thewindows are seated, said mount comprising a mounting member adapted tobe seated inside the mask at the window frames, and means associatedwith the mounting member for directly supporting a lens, said meansincluding a lens frame, a connection between the temple sides of themounting member and lens frame, and a second connection of variablelength spaced from the first connection and likewise joining themounting member and lens frame, said length being variable to adjust theangularity of the lens frame.

6. A lens mount as defined in claim 5, wherein the mounting frame iscomposed of spring wire, whose ends are separated to permit compressionof the frame to facilitate insertion within the window frame upon theinside of the latter.

7. A mask comprising a body portion having a pair of transparent windowsand frames within which the windows are seated, said mask being of thetype which fits closely about the face of the wearer and assumes thegeneral contour of the face, a pair of separate lens frames detachablysecured to the inside of the mask behind the windows and adapted toreceive a pair of lenses and support the same between the windows andthe eyes of the wearer, and means for adjusting each of the lens framesand the lens carried thereby with reference to the eyes of the wearer,the means for securing the lens inside the mask comprising a resilientwire mounting member disposed generally in a plane outside that of thelens frame to provide clearance for gripping said member and adaptedupon contraction to be inserted within the window frame and upon releaseto spring against the inner walls of said frame.

8. A mask comprising a body portion having a. pair of transparentwindows and frames within which the windows are seated, said mask beingof the type which fits closely about the face of the wearer and assumesthe general contour of the face, a pair of separate lens framesdetachably secured to the inside of the mask behind the windows andadapted to receive a pair of lenses and support the same between thewindows and the eyes of the wearer, each lens frame being pivoted uponthe mask at the temple side thereof, and means permitting limitedswinging movement of each lens frame at the bridge side thereof toenable the lenses to adjust themselves to the eyes of the wearer atdifferent angularities of the face portion of the mask when worn bypersons of different facial widths.

NATHAN R. SCHUTZ. JACK DUBITSKY.

